Royals Match Report 2004-05

Magpies overwhelm weak opposition

Ludlow West 2-10 Church Stretton (League 22-01-05)
(Smith 2, Lewis 2, Brayne, Carless-Turland, Groom, OG) 

A good playing surface at the Coors stadium, with the grass cut the previous day, and a pleasant Saturday morning, cold but only partially overcast and windless, promised a good football match. The sun even made the odd timid appearance. It indeed turned out a very successful morning for the Magpies with some excellent passing football, particularly in the first half. But the opposition, Ludlow West, was on the weak side, making it perhaps a bit too easy for the Magpies. 

The Magpies went on the attack right from the start. And they stayed on the attack for much of the first half. Ludlow West defended stoutly but somewhat clumsily. Their defenders, big but heavy, were slower to the ball, the lighter and more nimble Magpie attackers were a good yard quicker. The Magpies were particularly good at intercepting Ludlow's goal kicks with the result that Ludlow found it difficult to get out of their own half. When they did get into the Magpie's half it was not in numbers and Brayne and Robinson had little difficulty in fending them off. During the first fifteen minutes keeper Holtz handled the ball only twice. 

In spite of their incessant attacks it took a while for the Magpies to settle down and score. Their initial attacks were uncoordinated. Passes went astray. Particularly the finishing left much to be desired, going wide or tamely into the arms of the keeper. Though a couple of shots were only just off target. Even a penalty, awarded on four minutes when Hearle was tripped inside the penalty box, failed to be converted. Lewis' powerful shot hit the crossbar and bounced harmlessly behind. 

Some ten minutes into the game things started to click, and how. Superb passing movements between Smith, Carless-Turland, Hearle and Lewis befuddled the Ludlow defence and one goal followed another. Smith opened the scoring on nine minutes, followed by a second one by Lewis only one minute later. Hearle shot in a third one two minutes on. It looked like a bloodbath unfolding. Pushed on to the back foot the Ludlow defence conceded numerous corner. From one of them Hearle scored his second. His corner kick curled directly into goal! 

Ludlow had most of their players back while most of the Magpie players were forward. This made for a congested half. Lewis scored his second when his kick somehow cleared all the bodies and slammed into the back of the net. Another excellent passing movement ended with Smith netting his second goal. Yet another followed a minute later when a strong shot by Carless-Turland was deflected by a Ludlow defender into his own net to make it 0-7. Seven goals in a fifteen minute spell, a goal virtually every second minute! A superb performance of fast flowing football by the Magpies, just what Manager Smith had put so much effort into teaching them. 

Ludlow in the final minutes of the first half had their best spell which produced a number of attacking movements. A low shot from the right towards goal somehow eluded Holtz to give Ludlow a first half consolation goal. But before the whistle for the end of the second half could blow, the Magpies were back on attack. From a corner kick the ball came to Brayne whose shot first appeared to vanish in a forest of legs and was next seen at the back of the net. 

With the score 1-8 at half time, Manager Smith decided to use his three reserves, Case, Groom and Riley, resting Lewis, Hearle and Brayne who all had played very well. It started off well enough. Two minutes into the second half Ludlow failed to clear a Magpie's attack. Carless-Turland latched onto the ball and shot it passed the Ludlow keeper to make it 1-9. But the new formation did not click quite so well. The second half was rather frustrating for the Magpies. They continued to attack the Ludlow goal almost incessantly, but many passes went astray and many kicks on goal went wide and only one more goal was scored. Attacks up the left corridor were particularly fruitless. Though frequently fed by the tenacious Robinson at left back, robbing Ludlow attackers of possession, the thrust up the left flank nearly almost broke down. Case on the left wing was having, unusually for him, an off-day. 

Attacks up the right corridor proved more dangerous. On the right wing Groom showed great industry, battling for the ball, dribbling, rounding defenders, passing and shooting on goal. His efforts were finally rewarded with a goal half way through the second half. In a battle for the ball with a Ludlow defender he got the better of it and slotted the ball past the keeper from quite close range. 

In the second half too Ludlow did succeed to score a goal, though on the whole their occasional attacks lacked penetration power. Their burly defenders did produce some powerful shots out of defensive positions and towards the Magpies goal. At times so powerful that they went straight over the goal line on the other side. On one of their forays into the Magpies half a Ludlow attacker was tripped and a free kick was awarded. A powerful kick to the right of the Magpie's wall found the top right hand corner to make it 2-10. The game ended with a Ludlow attack which produced a dangerous shot across goal which eluded everyone to finally go out harmlessly. 

This match will have done much to raise the confidence of the Magpies in their passing game. It will stand them in good stead against sterner opposition. 

Team: Cameron Holtz, Michael Brayne, Dominic Robinson Rory Smith, Joe Hearle, Harvey Carless-Turland, Tom Lewis. Subs used: Ed Groom, Jack Case, Simon Riley.